


Haunted Nights

by HarkaSun



Series: 5 Months of Shadowhunters Challenge [2]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alec Lightwood Loves Magnus Bane, Canon Compliant, Domestic Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Late Season 2, M/M, Magnus Bane Deserves Nice Things, Nightmares, Protective Alec Lightwood, unstable magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-04-14
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:14:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23646760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HarkaSun/pseuds/HarkaSun
Summary: After his time trapped in Valentine's body and reliving his worst memory, Magnus's nightmares make a return. He worries for Alec's safety around him at such a turbulent time in his life, but the shadowhunter is determined not to let Magnus push him away.
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Series: 5 Months of Shadowhunters Challenge [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1696138
Comments: 5
Kudos: 152





	Haunted Nights

**Author's Note:**

> For @izzymalec and @permetstu‘s 5 months of Shadowhunters Challenge on Tumblr.  
> Week 2: emotion

The night in Brooklyn can barely be distinguished from the day.

Lights of the city blaze like the sun, people bustling and vehicles revving at all hours. Alec is used to noise. Growing up in the academy, the halls had rarely been without some form of sound. Now, however, high above the ground in Magnus’s apartment, the world is completely silent.

Magnus’s warding prevents the outside noise from penetrating the loft, his curtains drawn tight across the wide windows, blocking out the light. Sometimes it’s so deafeningly quiet that Alec can’t sleep. He is growing used to it, however, spending so many nights in Magnus’s bed rather than his own back at the institute.

When he startles awake and the world is still dark, at first, he doesn’t know what disturbed him.

A guttural moan fills the room, a sound like a wounded animal, and Alec despairs to realise that it is Magnus making that noise when the warlock twitches and shifts on the bed beside him.

Alec twists to illuminate the lamp upon his bedside table, sending a warm glow across the room, across Magnus’s trembling form. His eyes are shut tightly, still deep in the throes of unconsciousness. His lips flare and another shaky moan breaks his throat. Barely stopping to think, Alec takes him by the shoulders, fighting to hold him still when it makes Magnus thrash against him.

“Magnus,” he urges, raising his voice slightly when the warlock doesn’t react. “Magnus, wake up. Wake up. Magnus—”

Magnus flinches upwards, his hands grabbing at Alec’s arms. A flash of crimson startles from his palms and Alec bites the inside of his cheek at pain sears his skin. Magnus’s eyes are open, but unfocused and he tries to shove Alec away. His cat eyes are showing. He’s still half-asleep.

“You’re safe. Magnus, wake up, you’re safe,” says Alec, ignoring the burns on his arms, ignoring the golden glow of Magnus’s warlock mark. “It’s not real, okay? It’s not real. You were dreaming.”

Gasping for breath, the focus comes back to Magnus’s eyes and they darken as his glamour rises like shutters slamming across his gaze. Alec fights to contain his shock when the newly darkened eyes fill with tears. Magnus is grabbing him before Alec can so much as speak. His arms wrap tight around Alec’s waist. His shoulders are racked with sobs.

Alec freezes for a moment, blinking hard at his weeping boyfriend. His hands come to hesitantly rest upon Magnus’s back, almost flinching away when the warlock shudders through another sob. The flesh upon his biceps is red and blistered, but he doesn’t care. He barely even feels it anymore.

“It’s okay,” he utters softly, one hand coming to run his fingers through Magnus’s hair. “It’s okay. It was just a dream. You were dreaming.”

He has never seen Magnus like this before. The warlock is so strong, so filled with power and fire and Alec used to believe that nothing could hurt him. After Azazel’s spell had left him trapped in Valentine’s body, Alec had seen Magnus cry for the first time. It hadn’t been like this however. Magnus had been angry and ashamed, about his step-father and what had happened to his mother.

Now, it is just an uncontrollable sobbing.

Alec doesn’t speak, doesn’t try to give him reassurance. He knows now that it won’t help. The helplessness he feels then in almost overwhelming because he can’t help Magnus. He can’t take the warlock’s pain. He’s suffered so much in his long life. It isn’t all that long ago that they had the conversation regarding Magnus’s mother. Alec has no doubt that Magnus’s past haunts his dreams even now.

The desperate sobs are receding somewhat. Magnus is breathing a little deeper with every passing second. Alec knows he’s forcing it, but he doesn’t say anything to deter him. Selfish though it may be, he doesn’t want Magnus to cry anymore.

“I’m sorry,” Magnus says, sitting himself upright and pushing the tears from his cheeks. “I’m sorry. I—I didn’t mean—”

“Magnus,” Alec murmurs, cutting him off with a hand to his arm. “It’s okay. Don’t apologise for your emotions.”

Magnus shakes his head, his gaze coming to Alec’s arm. “God, Alec, I…” He goes quiet a moment, his fingers shrouding in blue mist and coming to gently rest over the burns. Alec lets him, knows that Magnus needs this. “I’m so sorry. I—I thought I had them controlled. I understand if you want to leave.”

Alec stares at him, his eyes narrowed. “Magnus, I love you.”

Swallowing hard, Magnus lowers his hands from Alec’s skin, completely healed now with help of his magic. The simplicity of Alec’s love is apparently upsetting to him. “I’ll get some repressing cuffs. They’ll restrain my magic. I can’t risk hurting you again.”

“Magnus, no,” Alec protests, knowing enough about the time before the accords to know that those same restraints were forced upon a number of warlocks. “No, I don’t want that. I’m fine. I’m not hurt.” He lifts a hand to comb a stray lock of Magnus’s hair back into place. “You’re allowed to have emotions. Whatever comes of them, I’m here for you, okay…? Don’t push me away.”

Magnus lifts his gaze to Alec’s own, tears still shining in his eyes. “I’m afraid for you,” he admits shakily. “It’s not like last time, Alec. If my nightmares return…” He breathed back a sob, a hand reaching up to wipe at his eyes. “I’m sorry, it… it used to be Ragnor who would deal with me when I got like this.”

Alec touches his hand, his fingers curling to clasp it in his own, just holding him. “I know you miss him,” he says, swallows hard, “and I know there’s nothing I can do to help you, not really, but I want… I want to help. Tell me what I can do.”

Magnus blinks up at him. “I don’t know, Alexander.”

“Well, what did Ragnor do?”

Shaking his head unknowingly, Magnus simply stares down at their joined hands. “I don’t know. I suppose he… he would just sit with me. If I wanted to, he’d listen to be talk about my dreams. If I didn’t… he’d tell me stories sometimes, things he did when I wasn’t with him, things we did together but from his point of view… He would wait until I fell asleep.”

Alec regards him a moment before wrapping an arm around Magnus’s shoulders, gently coaxing him back down to the mattress. He held the warlock in his arms, kissing his brow when Magnus relaxes a little more, as if praising him for being calm. He wants Magnus to be calm. He wants Magnus to feel safe with him.

Magnus doesn’t want to talk about his nightmares. It’s clear from his breakdown, so Alec doesn’t even ask lest he risk upsetting him again. Alec turns to switch the light off, throwing the room back into darkness and turning back to Magnus. When he speaks, his voice comes soft and quiet, aiming to calm him.

“What do you want me to talk about?”

Magnus presses closer to him, rests his head against Alec’s chest. “Tell me about you… what you were like as a child.”

Alec thinks a moment. “Probably much the same as I am now… I mean, I’m definitely more gay now, but aside from that.”

That makes Magnus laugh a little and the sound is like a melody to Alec’s ears. Encouraged, he keeps talking, tells Magnus things about his childhood, things that were happy rather than things that would make Magnus worry, wishing only to make him feel safe and to keep him calm.

When Magnus’s comments grow fewer and further apart, Alec quietens his voice in turn, allows Magnus to relax against him, allows his breaths to grow deeper and slower. He is sleeping against within the hour, undisturbed this time. Alec is grateful for it.

He smiles softly, gently wraps Magnus more securely in his embrace. “You’re safe,” he promises, kissing his boyfriend’s forehead, lightly enough that Magnus doesn’t even stir. “You sleep now… I’m going to keep you safe.”

With that vow hanging between them in the darkness, Alec settles and relaxes into the mattress. He falls asleep with Magnus in his arms, held safe and warm in his devoted embrace.

**Author's Note:**

> Link to the tumblr post of this fic: https://harkasun.tumblr.com/post/615374748142190592/haunted-nights


End file.
